Friday, December 03, 2004

The Grinch Who Stole the Bell Ringers

Apparently they are returning to Mervyn's after a slight change of heart on their part. Check out this article, hat tip Hugh Hewitt

Target, on the other hand, still hasn't, and it's estimated to cost the Salvation Army $9 Million. Where are you doing your "Winter Solstice" shopping, which is what Target has labelled their holiday tablewares. Feel free to send a polite email to Target and let them know at guest.relations@target.com.

Customer complaints and emails prompted a reversal by Mervyn's...let's make it work for Target too.

UPDATE: The following is a form letter I received in response to my complaint to Target. I know it's a form letter because my friend Kathryn received the exact same letter, word for word:

Like many nationwide retailers, Target Corporation has a long-standing "no
solicitation" policy that it consistently applies to all organizations
across all of its stores.

We receive an increasing numberof solicitation inquiries from non-profit
organizations and other groups each year and determined that if we continue
to allow the Salvation Army to solicit then it opens the door to any other
groups that wish to solicit our guests. While some of our guests may
welcome the opportunity to support their favorite charity or cause,
allowing these organizations to solicit means that Target would also have
to permit solicitation by organizations whose cause or behavior may be
unacceptable to our guests.

We notified the Salvation Army of our decision in January 2004, well in
advance of the holiday season, so the organization would have time to find
alternative fundraising sources. Target also asked the Salvation Army to
look at other ways that we could support their organization under our
corporate giving guidelines. To this date they have not provided a proposal
that fits those guidelines.

Local Salvation Army chapters can apply for grants through their local
Target stores. For decades, many non-profit organizations across the
country have successfully worked with Target in this manner. We are asking
the Salvation Army to work with us in the same exact manner as the other
groups and organizations who ask to solicit our guests.

This decision in no way diminishes Target Corporation's commitment to its
communities. Target has one of the largest corporate philanthropy programs
in America, donating more than $2 million per week and hundreds of
thousands of volunteer hours each year to the communities in which it does
business.